Systems and methods for connecting merchant loyalty programs with payment cards

11966,940

16/588424

September 30, 2019

A computer-based method for providing a loyalty identifier to a merchant using a payment network is described. The method includes storing data including at least one loyalty identifier associated with a cardholder enrolled in a loyalty program and a corresponding payment card identifier, receiving a first authorization request message for a payment transaction initiated by a first cardholder using a first payment card at an originating merchant, the first authorization request message including a first merchant identifier and a first payment card identifier, determining a first loyalty program associated with the originating merchant based in part on the first merchant identifier and the data stored in the memory, determining a first loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder for the first loyalty program based in part on the first payment card identifier and the data stored in the memory, and providing the first loyalty identifier to the originating merchant.

Mastercard International Incorporated (Purchase, NY, US)

MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED (Purchase, NY, US)

1. A computer-based method for providing a loyalty identifier to a merchant using a payment network, said method implemented using a loyalty program (LP) computing device in communication with a memory and a payment network server of the payment network, said method comprising: storing, in the memory, a first link to a plurality of consumer profiles, each of the consumer profiles associated with a corresponding cardholder of a plurality of cardholders and including biometric reference data associated with the corresponding cardholder; receiving, by the LP computing device from a client device, a registration request for a first cardholder of the plurality of cardholders, the registration request including a selection of a first of a plurality of loyalty programs and a first loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder and the first loyalty program, each of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with a corresponding merchant identifier of a plurality of merchant identifiers; storing, by the LP computing device, a second link between the first loyalty identifier, the first loyalty program, and a corresponding consumer profile associated with the first cardholder within the memory, wherein the first loyalty program includes a discount amount; receiving, by the LP computing device from the payment network server, a first authorization request message for a payment transaction initiated by the first cardholder using a payment card at an originating merchant, the first authorization request message including biometric scan data of the first cardholder, a first payment amount, and a first merchant identifier of the plurality of merchant identifiers, the first merchant identifier corresponding to the originating merchant; in response to receiving the first authorization request message, querying, by the LP computing device and using the biometric scan data included in the first authorization request message, the memory to identify one of the plurality of consumer profiles having the stored biometric reference data matching the biometric scan data, the identified consumer profile being the corresponding consumer profile which is associated within the memory with the first cardholder and linked to (i) the first loyalty program having the discount amount, and (ii) the first loyalty identifier of the first cardholder; determining, by the LP computing device, that the originating merchant is associated with the first loyalty program by querying the memory, by the LP computing device and using the first merchant identifier included in the first authorization request message, to identify a stored merchant identifier associated with the first loyalty program matching to the first merchant identifier; calculating, by the LP computing device in real-time, a second payment amount based on the first payment amount and the discount amount included in the first loyalty program as identified by matching the biometric scan data to the stored biometric reference data; and transmitting, by the LP computing device, the second payment amount and the first loyalty identifier to the payment network server to complete processing of the first authorization request message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: storing, in the memory, the plurality of loyalty programs; retrieving, by the LP computing device, the first merchant identifier and the biometric scan data from the first authorization request message; and in response to retrieving, automatically querying, by the LP computing device, the memory to identify at least one of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with the first merchant identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: generating, by the LP computing device, a second authorization request message from the first authorization request message by replacing the first payment amount with the second payment amount; and transmitting, by the LP computing device, the second authorization request message to the payment network server.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the payment network server is configured to: transmit the second authorization request message to an issuer processor computer device; receive from the issuer processor computer device, in response to the second authorization request message being approved by the issuer processor computer device, an authorization response message; format the first loyalty identifier to enable inclusion of the first loyalty identifier in the authorization response message; and transmit the authorization response message to the originating merchant including the formatted first loyalty identifier.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the biometric scan data of the first cardholder during the payment transaction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the registration request from the first cardholder further comprises receiving, by the LP computing device, a picture of a loyalty program card associated with the first cardholder and determining the first loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder based on the received picture.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving loyalty program registration information from the originating merchant for the first loyalty program, wherein the loyalty program registration information includes the first merchant identifier; and storing, in the memory, the loyalty program registration information for the originating merchant including the first merchant identifier.

8. A computing system for providing a loyalty identifier to a merchant using a payment network, said computing system comprising a loyalty program (LP) computing device and a payment network server, the LP computing device comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more memory devices, said computing system configured to: store, in the one or more memory devices, a first link to a plurality of consumer profiles, each of the consumer profiles associated with a corresponding cardholder of a plurality of cardholders and including a biometric reference data associated with the corresponding cardholder; receive, from a client device, a registration request for a first cardholder of the plurality of cardholders, the registration request including a selection of a first of a plurality of loyalty programs and a first loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder and the selected first loyalty program, each of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with a corresponding merchant identifier of a plurality of merchant identifiers; store a second link between the first loyalty identifier, the first loyalty program, and a corresponding consumer profile associated with the first cardholder within the one or more memory devices, wherein the first loyalty program includes a discount amount; receive, from the payment network server, a first authorization request message for a payment transaction initiated by the first cardholder using a payment card at an originating merchant, the first authorization request message including biometric scan data of the first cardholder, a first payment amount, and a first merchant identifier of the plurality of merchant identifiers, the first merchant identifier corresponding to the originating merchant; in response to receiving the first authorization request message, query using the biometric scan data included in the first authorization request message, the one or more memory devices to identify one of the plurality of consumer profiles having the stored biometric reference data matching the biometric scan data, the identified consumer profile being the corresponding consumer profile which is associated within the one or more memory devices with the first cardholder and linked to (i) the first loyalty program having the discount amount, and (ii) the first loyalty identifier of the first cardholder; determine that the originating merchant is associated with the first loyalty program by querying the one or more memory devices, by the LP computing device and using the first merchant identifier included in the first authorization request message, to identify a stored merchant identifier associated with the first loyalty program matching to the first merchant identifier; calculate in real-time a second payment amount based on the first payment amount and the discount amount included in the first loyalty program as identified by matching the biometric scan data to the stored biometric reference data; and transmit the second payment amount and the first loyalty identifier to the payment network server to complete processing of the first authorization request message.

9. The computing system of claim 8 further configured to: store, in the one or more memory devices, the plurality of loyalty programs; retrieve the first merchant identifier and the biometric scan data from the first authorization request message; and in response to retrieving, automatically query the one or more memory devices to identify at least one of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with the first merchant identifier.

10. The computing system of claim 8 further configured to: generate a second authorization request message from the first authorization request message by replacing the first payment amount with the second payment amount; and transmit the second authorization request message to the payment network server.

11. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the payment network server is configured to: transmit the second authorization request message to an issuer processor computer device; receive from the issuer processor computer device, in response to the second authorization request message being approved by the issuer processor computer device, an authorization response message; format the first loyalty identifier to enable inclusion of the first loyalty identifier in the authorization response message; and transmit the authorization response message to the originating merchant including the formatted first loyalty identifier.

12. The computing system of claim 8 further configured to obtain the biometric scan data of the first cardholder during the payment transaction.

13. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein receiving the registration request from the first cardholder further comprises receiving, by the LP computing device, a picture of a loyalty program card associated with the first cardholder and determining the first loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder based on the received picture.

14. The computing system of claim 8 further configured to: receive loyalty program registration information from the originating merchant for the first loyalty program, wherein the loyalty program registration information includes the first merchant identifier; and store, in the one or more memory devices, the loyalty program registration information for the originating merchant including the first merchant identifier.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by a loyalty program (LP) computing device, the computer-executable instructions cause the LP computing device to: store, in one or more memory devices, a first link to a plurality of consumer profiles, each of the consumer profiles associated with a corresponding cardholder of a plurality of cardholders and including a biometric reference data associated with the corresponding cardholder; receive, from a client device, a registration request for a first cardholder of the plurality of cardholders, the registration request including a selection of a first of a plurality of loyalty programs and a loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder and the first loyalty program, each of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with a corresponding merchant identifier of a plurality of merchant identifiers; store a second link between the loyalty identifier, the first loyalty program, and a corresponding consumer profile associated with the first cardholder within the one or more memory devices, wherein the first loyalty program includes a discount amount; receive, from a payment network server, a first authorization request message for a payment transaction initiated by the first cardholder using a payment card at an originating merchant, the first authorization request message including biometric scan data of the first cardholder, a first payment amount, and a first merchant identifier of the plurality of merchant identifiers, the first merchant identifier corresponding to the originating merchant; in response to receiving the first authorization request message, using the biometric scan data included in the first authorization request message, the one or more memory devices to identify one of the plurality of consumer profiles having the stored biometric reference data matching the biometric scan data, the identified consumer profile being the corresponding consumer profile which is associated within the one or more memory devices with the first cardholder and linked to (i) the first loyalty program having the discount amount, and (ii) the first loyalty identifier of the first cardholder; determine that the originating merchant is associated with the first loyalty program by querying the one or more memory devices, by the LP computing device and using the first merchant identifier included in the first authorization request message, to identify a stored merchant identifier associated with the first loyalty program matching to the first merchant identifier; calculate in real-time a second payment amount based on the first payment amount and the discount amount included in the first loyalty program as identified by matching the biometric scan data to the stored biometric reference data; and transmit the second payment amount and the loyalty identifier to the payment network server to complete processing of the first authorization request message.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the LP computing device to: store, in the one or more memory devices, the plurality of loyalty programs; retrieve the first merchant identifier and the biometric scan data from the first authorization request message; and in response to retrieving, automatically query the one or more memory devices to identify at least one of the plurality of loyalty programs associated with the first merchant identifier.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the LP computing device to: generate a second authorization request message from the first authorization request message by replacing the first payment amount with the second payment amount; and transmit the second authorization request message.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the LP computing device to obtain the biometric scan data of the first cardholder during the payment transaction.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein receiving the registration request from the first cardholder further comprises receiving, by the LP computing device, a picture of a loyalty program card associated with the first cardholder and determining the loyalty identifier associated with the first cardholder based on the received picture.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the LP computing device to: receive loyalty program registration information from the originating merchant for the first loyalty program, wherein the loyalty program registration information includes the first merchant identifier; and store, in the one or more memory devices, the loyalty program registration information for the originating merchant including the first merchant identifier.

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